I’m glad that we left the Prairie Land Cable Handbag sit for a week. There was something missing and that got fixed up today. She is ready for the store once I get a decent write up about her done. That’s always the hardest part about listing an item. Well, that and getting good pictures of which I don’t have a talent for. *sigh* But onward and upward. It’s totally finished and ready for someone to take home.
Front
Back
Back to the sewing room for me. Thanks for checking in!
Team TygerLily had one LONG meeting last night. It was overdue. Do you ever have those times when you know you just need a good swift kick in the keester to get you back on the right track? I truly believe that’s why we make one fantastic team.
So to get things started on this bright sunny Saturday, the turquoise knitting just HAD to get worked on. As I said in an earlier post, when the yarn is gone, the piece has to be finished. There is no other way! Decided to take a pic of it outdoors since it’s SO gorgeous outside to get it’s ‘before’ picture.
Steeples on the Plains - The Before Pic
I wanted to try a new top edge to see how the felting would work, so hopefully you can see the last few rounds were a basic K2 P2 ribbing. Being careful not to run out of yarn on the bag itself, there was enough left to do a flip-over closure. I was absolutely going crazy with excitement over the way just the basic knitted piece came out – and the felting was about to begin. So after about 20 minutes of some hot agitation, the bag came to rest back on the WII box covered with a garbage bag. And out on to the porch for it to dry and take on the perfect boxy shape we wanted.
Steeples On the Plains - Felted and Drying on the Deck
Yeah, I know our furniture needs a facelift, but that’s a project for next spring – maybe. :) Anyway, there she sits, upside down and her tongue hanging out, soaking wet. But not for long. The K2 P2 ribbing was the perfect top edge and the flip over closure could NOT have worked out better. There is a very richly colored paisley pinwale corduroy just waiting for the gal to dry so it can become the perfect lining for what we believe to be a perfect bag.
At some point, and maybe not this weekend, we will be welcoming our 3rd in the Prairie Series: Steeples On The Plains Handbag. Excited? You better believe it! Made from 100% wool from the outlet shop at The Brown Sheep Company in Mitchell, Nebraska.
Go get a little creative yourself – and enjoy the journey.
There’s been slow and steady progress on lots of projects. Maybe one day ONE of them will get completed! Some days it’s better to be the tortoise.
I knew there would be a few hours at home today before clocking in at my real job, so I decided to get all the logos sewn onto the six linings of the commissioned job. What was so cool about doing it this morning was that I could do household stuff while the machine did all the work! But I love how it all came out and here they are, all six of them smiling at the camera.
Up Close and Personal
Finally got a better shot of the turquoise color on the knitted handbag that’s in progress….
Chapel Windows Handbag
I’m thinking my camera likes natural lighting the best. So I’ll quit complaining about it and just be thankful that there’s a working camera in the house. :) The hank of yarn to the right is all that is left of what was purchased. Once that’s gone, the bag has no choice but to be finished! Can’t wait to see how this one does with the felting process. Pretty excited about it actually.
Got the package in the mail from Webs yesterday and I was elated!!! I could NOT put the golden poppy color down. It just needed to be squeezed and mushed. I have never worked with this brand of yarn before, but it’s going to make a fantastic Nebraska state flower themed felted bag.
Golden Poppy Bulky - Chile
There was some basic gray bulky wool in the package (which is boring but needed) and this great Louisa Harding DK weight pink. Can we say GORGEOUS????
Louisa Harding DK Pink
This will get worked up into simple scarves during October for the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Awareness month. The slubs in the yarn just add that extra little touch that Team TygerLily adores.
Here is the FREE pattern from Classic Elite Yarns. I have made several scarves from this pattern and it works up quite easily – plus it’s beautiful.
Classic Elite Yarns Breast Cancer Awareness Scarf - FREE PATTERN
Just click on that picture and you’ll go direct to the FREE pattern. It’s well worth downloading this one and keep in your library.
Finally. It’s complete. At least I think it is. It will get looked over and checked this week to see if anything else needs to get done to it. But it’s done. For today.
I was going to take pictures of the process of putting it all together, but when I got involved the picture idea flew right out the window. It had been a long time since a fabric lining got sewn into a knitted handbag and time got away from me.
But here she is, the Prairie Land Cable Oatmeal Handbag – leather handles and ties, embroidered logo on the inside……
Prairie Land Cable Oatmeal Handbag
Putting the grommets in on the sides was interesting. They are a Tandy Leather product. Bill hung out with me the entire time I was hammering and sweating away getting these done. He wanted to help so bad, but his eyes haven’t really been too good this week, and I know he felt bad. But he was there encouraging me and handing me what he could to get the job done. A better hole cutter will be the next purchase, if I decide to do the grommet idea again. Watch out when I get a hammer in my hand though! Thinking I was having a little too much fun. HA!
One more shot of that old cowgirl……
This baby is up for sale. I’ve wrangled her around long enough. Now it’s someone else’s turn to have their way with her. :) Interested in her? You all know how to get hold of me. Otherwise by next weekend she will hopefully be listed in the shop.
On a side note, the commissioned job I have includes six (6) totebags, each personalized. The prepping for the job takes the longest, and I’m happy to say that about 1/3 of the preparations have been completed. I think all the ‘getting ready’ takes longer sometimes than the actual ‘getting done’. What do you think? :)
I’m pooped…… is it too early in the day for a celebratory glass of moscato? Brown Sheep Company has rocked our little world………..
While shopping for final materials for a commissioned job yesterday at Joann‘s, for some reason I was drawn to a table with a BIG 40% OFF sign on the top. It was one of the most fabulous displays of pinwale corduroy fabrics that has ever been encountered. One of those pieces just had to be mine, but which one……… decisions, decisions. Plus I had a 20% off entire purchase! It really only took about three dances around the display when the final pick came………
Brown Sheep Burly Spun with Pinwale Corduroy for Lining
The lighting in the computer room is less than perfect to show you just how rich the colors are, as this photo does NOT do either of these things justice. But really, corduroy? Paisley? Baby soft? Oh, yeah! Even my Burly Spun looks more green than the fabulous turquoise it really is. Trust me, they match to a total TEE! Can’t wait to get started on another Prairie bag in the series, and now that the perfect lining fabric was found for one of the colors, THIS will be the next in line to make. Can you picture it? Black Handles and all?
Of course, a freebie must be included whenever possible. So the hunt went out for a pattern for a knitted scarf that would use a bulky yarn like this. And what did I find but the most fun scarf ever! Any one of you could work something like this up in less than a weekend. Cute, cute, CUTE!
Single Cable Scarf
You know the ropes, click the photo and you’ll go directly to this free pattern from Action Hero. I think the pompoms on the ends add a huge amount of fun to this design. It could probably be worked up in a double stranded worsted also. Get creative!
Have a blessed Saturday, and let’s get motivated, folks!
With the weather changing and knowing that autumn colors are just around the corner, it seems the right time to share this other glorious yarn that we purchased at Brown Sheep Company while on vacation. Fall is my favorite season of the year. The chill in the air, the magnificent colors that appear in our trees, fields, prairies and hills – all needs to be celebrated and enjoyed.
These hanks of yarn were found at the Brown Sheep Company yarn outlet right on their fiber mill location (along with all those other yarns I’ve been sharing with you).
Three hanks of glorious fall colored wool - Brown Sheep Company
Up Close and Personal #1
Up Close and Personal #2
These colors absolutely INSPIRE! Don’t they just make you want to put another log on the fire and make hot cocoa with tons of marshmallows floating on top? These are deep, luscious, and warming colors. Just does a soul good, doesn’t it?
Are there things in nature that inspire you to be creative? Think about it. The colors of flowers? Birds? Fields? The sky? Trees? Ocean or desert? Get inspired and make something that just has your name written all over it as it’s maker.
As much as a New England fall would be an inspiration in itself to see, that isn’t an option for Team TygerLily. But who is to say that the same beauty and colors cannot be seen from our own backyard? Or down the road? Or by the river? Count all the blessings and inspirations you have around you, right where you are. See what you can do with that! You may surprise yourself at what will come to your mind!
On a side note, you know that free patterns are always getting surfed for. There is a beautiful one of here at Tahki Stacy Charles you should give some attention to.
Diamond Ruffled Scarf - FREE Pattern
Is this not gorgeous? It would be perfect for any occasion, even the office on those chilly days coming up. Click on the picture and you’ll go straight to the pattern download page. Give it a whirl!
Get creative, get inspired. And mostly, HAVE FUN!
Woke up and realized that today is the first day of September – the beginning to my favorite season of the year. Autumn. Fall. An Indian Summer. It’s just another great excuse to get those fall and winter projects in order and get your supplies all put in place.
One of the things the TygerLily has on her plate will include this sensational Burly Spun Wool by Brown Sheep that I was able to nearly steal over on Ravelry. It’s color is called Amethyst.
Brown Sheep "Burly Spun" Amethyst purchased from a member of Ravelry
The camera never EVER takes a good picture of this color, and this is just a great example of what the color is NOT. It appears in the photo that it leans more towards hot pink, but it is a deep rich royal purple and it’s perfect. This yarn will get made into another bag in the Prairie series, and dedicated to our first daughter Season, and her birthstone color. I looked hard for this color and was rewarded in the end with this fantastic shipment of lusciousness.
There are many things on the needles this week, but no pics (there just hasn’t been time). So let’s have a little fun and look at this pattern for a knitted scarf. The pattern is free, and like I mentioned before, fall is coming!
TIGER EYE LACE SCARF
Click on Photo for FREE Downloadable Knitting Pattern
This would be extraordinarily pretty in some hand painted silk, or a cashmere. Oh, how I love cashmere. The name of this scarf really caught my eye. Just CLICK on the photo and you’ll be taken directly to the scarf’s pdf pattern. It’s just sitting there ready for you to download and start knitting! Thank you, Barbara Walker.
Are you thinking Christmas gifts yet?
In an attempt to keep updating progress closer at hand, this is a test in using an iPad to update ideas and projects. A program was located in the app store made particularly with WordPress in mind. Not sure how the photography will look, but it”s worth a try!
This is an update on the “Moonlit” bag that is on the needles and waiting for more stock to arrive. The skein you see in the photo is more than half gone, plus it is the LAST one I have. But the progress made this week is good.
Thanks for checking in and have a wonderfully creative day,
Wanted to share another design that’s in the works and on the needles. This one is using the Lamb’s Pride Bulky from The Brown Sheep Company here in Nebraska. What a fabulous yarn this is turning out to be to work with. The plan for this bag is to make is just a little taller than the Prairie Land Cable bag that just got felted this weekend.
This one talks to me and tells me it has to have ‘Moonlit’ in its title. There may be surprises coming along on this also, so please check back in from time to time and see how it’s morphing into the 2nd Original in the Prairie Series of designs. This will be a one of a kind, also – unless I get the nerve to write the pattern.
This project with Brown Sheep Company yarn just gets better and better the longer it gets worked on. Today was the day to take the original knitted bag from a previous post…
Knitting Completed - Photo and description in previous TygerLily post.
The original size before any altering got done was about 20″ wide and 14-1/2″ tall, and that was laying flat with no shaping. I am in love with this oatmeal color. And as I’ve said before this Burly Spun from Brown Sheep Company is a joy to work with during the knitting process.
Since there was a little time today, and the washing machine was available, the knit piece was put into a sweater bag to heat up in the washer and give it some agitation. The good kind, mind you. :)
Knitted Purse ready to 'felt'
I didn’t plan on it fitting to a tee like this, it just happened to work out. Doesn’t matter once it gets all heated up. A pillowcase would have worked too, but I could see during the agitation process exactly how much ‘felting’ had been done and if it needed more.
It took over 1/2 hour of HOT water agitation to get it even close to where I wanted it.
Upside Down Felted Bag
This picture may not look right to you, and you would be exactly right. Once he was all finished getting beat around in the washing machine, he came to rest on two cracker boxes (inside) to dry into the form desired. The bottom of the bag is about 3 inches deep. This is where he will sit until he is SO dry and formed that we can escort him down to the sewing room to give him a proper lining and handles.
To give you an idea of how much he melded together, this finished size is 16″ across and now only 9-1/2″ tall. It’s absolutely perfect. The cables softened up beautifully and are hugging themselves just a little tighter. Honestly, this is exactly what was in my head when I started this project while on vacation!
Please watch for the steps on completing this purse. It is the first in what will hopefully be a “Prairie” series of one-of-a-kind handbags. This one will be “The Prairie Land Cable Bag”, unless a better name comes along. :)
Thank you, Brown Sheep Company, for your fabulous yarns that can only inspire us knitters to do better!
